Sen. Campbell's letter in support of Radio Liberty and
Voice of America

Following is the full text of a letter sent to the chairman of the
Broadcasting Board of Governors by Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.),
co-chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, regarding proposed cuts to
Voice of America and Radio Liberty. The letter is dated July 22.

I am writing to express my concern about the Broadcasting Board of Governors'
decision to significantly reduce resources for Radio Liberty's Ukrainian
service and the Voice of America's Ukrainian service for Fiscal Year 2004.
This decision will have an adverse affect on the ability of the U.S. to
objectively and independently impart information to the people of Ukraine
at an especially vulnerable time.

Just last month, I delivered a statement in the United States Senate
on the troubled media environment in Ukraine, where I discussed in detail
the country's continued lack of compliance with international human rights
standards, including OSCE commitments, on freedom of expression. Due to
censorship and control of the media - especially the electronic media -
by pro-presidential interests, the role of Voice of America and Radio Liberty
has become all the more essential in providing Ukrainians with balanced
and comprehensive information about opposition politicians and their policies,
as well as serious problems such as corruption, persecution of journalists,
arms proliferation, U.S. strategic interest, trafficking in human beings,
AIDS and many other important issues.

Ukraine - which now stands at the crossroad between democracy and authoritarianism
- is scheduled to have pivotal presidential elections next year, the results
of which will determine Ukraine's future for years to come. Ukraine's poor
track record on media objectivity in recent elections should not be understated.
Democratic opposition leaders legitimately fear that their access to the
media will be severely constricted in the run-up to the presidential elections.
There are already troubling indications confirming these concerns. With
the media in Ukraine under assault and poised to work against opposition
candidates in the critically important upcoming elections, it would be foolhardy
to cut programming or otherwise scale back resources for the Ukrainian services
Voice of America and Radio Liberty.

These stations are heard by millions of Ukrainians on a regular basis
and are respected as a sources of independent, objective news, covering
U.S.-Ukrainian relations, U.S. foreign policy, American institutions and
society, as well as the internal political, economic and social situation
in Ukraine. As such, they are an integral component of the U.S. foreign
policy goal to help ensure Ukraine's transition to a secure, democratic,
market-oriented member of the Euro-Atlantic community.